Insights
In this section, Gary Swift 7th Dan shares his thoughts each month.
We cannot teach what we do not know
I often wonder, nowadays, just how many other black-belts actually ‘train’ under tuition?
Very often we
hear of Sempai level Yudansha (1st & 2nd Dan) opening up strings of clubs and neglecting their own Dojo training
to pursue the life of a ‘Sensei’. Very often these ‘Sensei’ have not grasped the very fundamental principles of what
the style is all about before they disappear from the Dojo they trained in. Because of this lack of ‘Wado fundamentals’
they fill in the gaps with other aspects of training that may have nothing whatsoever to do with the Wadosabaki.
Syllabus becomes clouded with ‘punch-bag’ work and how many press-ups can be done in one-minute, etc.
But this is not Wado.
Wado has so much more than this ‘surface’ training. There is ‘depth’ to Wado that no other style has, or would attempt to have. And because so many lower graded Black-belts just dedicate their time to teaching or attempt various forms of their own ‘home-training’, they are not getting the correct input or direction to traditional/authentic Wado Karate.
The Black-belt grade is not the ‘end’, it is only the beginning, as we are continually informing our students. And I fully believe this as true.. even now I have found (and still find) new beginnings in my training.
All Yudansha, whatever their grade, should have regular input. The ‘odd’ training course every 6 months is not enough, this is not ‘experiencing’ Wado. We should never stop learning from our senior grades, because if we do, we have admitted either defeat or we have assumed that we have no more to learn. If you train in Wado then there is no end to your training or learning.
The 3rd Dan rank is ‘traditionally’ considered the ‘master grade’, which suggests to me that all Wado has been trained to a degree of satisfaction that the fundamental principles are clearly understood and that we now incorporate that into our technique. However, during my 3rd Dan years, I was still training under the guidance of an Instructor most nights of the week and weekends. I was also attempting to incorporate Wado principles and movement into the other systems that I have studied in the past. My Chin-na became ‘wado-fied’, for example.
Today I feel that the best grade for an Instructor should be 3rd Dan (at least), as this is ‘officially’ the rank of Sensei, as the individual would have the wealth of knowledge required to answer all aspects of inquiry. If he is a lower grade to this (a Sempai) then he/she should either be assisting or be under the guidance of a more senior grade within that Dojo.
All Wado should be instinctive and 1st nature. This cannot be attained if you do not train properly under the correct guidance of a regular Sensei.
How many Instructors can actually practise all the Wado syllabus correctly? Do we ‘really’ know what we are teaching? Who can we turn to for guidance? Can we ‘feel’ that what we are doing correct Wado?
My rule of thumb is quite simple. As a 6th Kyu you should be training in a Dojo at least twice a week, plus home training. A 3rd Kyu should be training in a Dojo at least 3 times a week, plus home training. A Black-belt (1st to 3rd Dan) should be training in a Dojo at least 4 times a week, and the rest of the week days at home training. Remember;“We cannot teach what we do not know!”
Gary E Swift Kyoshi.